Week One Comes to a Close

Pregnant mother of a 4 children, one which is disabled.

       Wow, imagine, one week ago today, I was driving to the airport, with feelings of excitement, doubt, fear, and utter astonishment that it was actually happening.  God is a funny God;  he gives me just enough doubt and wonderment to push me forward, then fills me with enough courage to conquer the world...and up and down the roller coaster I go.  In those times of deepest doubt, when tears start to swell up in my eyes, and I wonder what in the world can I do for these people, I breathe deeply and quiet my mind.  The answer is always the same: HOPE.
               This mother's story is incredibly sad. Her husband left her again, after she got pregnant, and he married another; she earns money by walking 2 kilometers, to carry water (5 gallon container) back to the neighbors, who pay her 5 shillings, the equivalent of .06 cents, for each trip she makes. She can make up to 20 shillings per day, .24.cents.  She and her children have gone as many as three days without food or water. When we visit, we give counsel, advice, and prayer. And then we go to the next slum shack.
                For those of you who took a green   Pray for One   bracelet from Cross Way Christian church a few weeks ago, I took one too, and gave it seven year old Susie during my visit that day.  She  fell off her mother's back while her mother was running away from her attackers during the political unrest a few years ago here in Kenya. Susie has never been the same. She has trouble walking, she does not speak, and her memory is very poor.  She cannot attend school because she cannot use the bathroom on her own.

Here she is with Social Worker Isabella, a God send for the  Mathare Valley.

      But, in one week's time I have developed procedures for referral of students with learning difficulties, spoken to the educational leaders, and met with a large group of parent in one of the centers, to discuss why I am here. During that meeting, a parent stood up, speaking in Swahli and being translated for me, he said his daughter has special needs and he wanted to know who he should talk to. The school staff answered his question. 
       This is HUGE step in this culture, as many parents are shunned for having children with disabilities.  This time my tears were tears of HOPE.  Next week we are off to do assessments of various students in some of the 14 centers now up and running.